Female Latrodectus hesperus, or western black widow
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Chelicerata
Class:
Arachnida
Order:
Araneae
Infraorder:
Araneomorphae
Family:
Theridiidae
Genus:
Latrodectus Walckenaer, 1805[1]
Type species
L. tredecimguttatus
(Rossi, 1790)
Species
34, see text
Synonyms[1]
Chacoca Badcock, 1932[2]
Latrodectus is a broadly distributed genus of spiders with several species that are commonly known as the true widows. This group is composed of those often loosely called black widow spiders, brown widow spiders, and similar spiders.[3][4][5][6] However, the diversity of species is much greater. A member of the family Theridiidae, this genus contains 34 species,[7] which include several North American "black widows" (southern black widow Latrodectus mactans, western black widow Latrodectus hesperus, and northern black widow Latrodectus variolus). Besides these, North America also has the red widow Latrodectus bishopi and the brown widow Latrodectus geometricus, which, in addition to North America, has a much wider geographic distribution. Elsewhere, others include the European black widow (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus), the Australian redback spider (Latrodectus hasseltii) and the closely related New Zealand katipō (Latrodectus katipo), several different species in Southern Africa that can be called button spiders, and the South American black-widow spiders (Latrodectus corallinus and Latrodectus curacaviensis). Species vary widely in size. In most cases, the females are dark-coloured and can be readily identified by reddish markings on the central underside (ventral) abdomen, which are often hourglass-shaped.
These small spiders have an unusually potent venom containing the neurotoxin latrotoxin, which causes the condition latrodectism, both named after the genus. Female widow spiders have unusually large venom glands, and their bite can be particularly harmful to large vertebrates, including humans. However, despite their notoriety, Latrodectus bites rarely cause death or produce serious complications.[citation needed] Only the bites of the females are dangerous to humans.
^ abCite error: The named reference WSC_g3502 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference levi 1959 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Ushkaryov, Y. A. (2004). "The multiple actions of black widow spider toxins and their selective use in neurosecretion studies". Toxicon. 213 (5): 527–542. doi:10.1016/j.toxicon.2004.02.008. PMID 15066411.
^Sari, I. (2008). "Myocarditis after black widow spider envenomation". The American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 630 (5): e1–3. doi:10.1016/j.ajem.2007.09.012. PMID 18534303.
^Nentwig, N. (2017). "Impact of Non-native Animals and Plants on Human Health". Impact of Biological Invasions on Ecosystem Services. Springer. pp. 277–293. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-45121-3_18. ISBN 978-3-319-45119-0.
^Müller, G. J. (1993). "Black and brown widow spider bites in South Africa". South African Medical Journal. 83.
^Cite error: The named reference WSC_sl3502 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
widows" (southern black widow Latrodectus mactans, western black widow Latrodectus hesperus, and northern black widow Latrodectus variolus). Besides these...
Commons has media related to Latrodectus hasselti. Wikispecies has information related to Latrodectus hasselti. Latrodectus hasselti in the Atlas of Living...
one of the widow spiders in the genus Latrodectus. As such, it is a 'cousin' to the more infamous Latrodectus mactans (black widow). L. geometricus has...
Latrodectus variolus, the northern black widow spider or northern widow, is a venomous species of spider in the genus Latrodectus of the family Theridiidae...
order Araneae. The species is closely related to Latrodectus hesperus (western black widow) and Latrodectus variolus (northern black widow). Members of the...
previously described as a subspecies of Latrodectus mactans and it is closely related to the northern species Latrodectus variolus. The species, as with others...
Latrodectus tredecimguttatus, also known as the Mediterranean black widow or the European black widow, is a species in the genus Latrodectus of the widow...
species Latrodectus mactans. The name bishopi honors Marshall B. Bishop who collected the specimens on which the description was based. Latrodectus bishopi...
of Latrodectus found in southern Africa, four of which, including L. cinctus, are known as black button or black widow spiders. Like all Latrodectus species...
Latrodectus pallidus is a species of spider commonly found throughout North Africa, the Middle East, and central Asia. A common name in English is the...
discovery of this species brought the Latrodectus species count for Mexico to four. "Taxon details Latrodectus occidentalis Valdez-Mondragón, 2023", World...
Latrodectus renivulvatus is a species of spider in the family Theridiidae, found in Africa, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. It is one of six species of Latrodectus...
[citation needed] Latrodectus corallinus, like most species of Latrodectus, is not aggressive. The peak time of activity for Latrodectus corallinus is between...
confused for, the black widow and other venomous spiders in the genus Latrodectus. Like black widows, the female S. grossa is 6-10.5 mm in length and dark...
Two medically important spider genera have a worldwide distribution—Latrodectus and Loxosceles. Others have a limited distribution. Medical reports have...
Latrodectus indistinctus is a species of spider in the family Theridiidae, found in Namibia and South Africa. It is one of six species of Latrodectus...
katipo) and the South American Latrodectus corallinus and Latrodectus curacaviensis. Several other members of the genus Latrodectus are not commonly associated...
Latrodectus curacaviensis is a species of black widow spider, that belongs to the genus Latrodectus. It is known as the South American black widow, Brazilian...
Latrodectus erythromelas is a species of venomous spider of the genus Latrodectus, commonly called widow spiders. It is native to India and Sri Lanka...
Latrodectus lilianae is a species of widow spider commonly found in Portugal and Spain. It is marked with small, white and orange markings on its abdomen...
Latrodectus antheratus is a venomous spider in the genus Latrodectus, native to Paraguay and Argentina. It can have some red on the back and has the red...
Latrodectus karrooensis is a species of spider in the family Theridiidae, found in South Africa. It is one of six species of Latrodectus found in southern...
the genus LatrodectusLatrodectus apicalis, the Galapagos black widow Latrodectus curacaviensis, the South American black widow Latrodectus hesperus,...
to be confused with the unrelated and highly venomous redback spider (Latrodectus hasselti). Adults tend to be about a centimeter in length. Both sexes...
Latrodectus hystrix is a species of spider in the family Theridiidae. It is native to mainland Yemen and Socotra. "ITIS - Report: Latrodectus hystrix"...
Latrodectus rhodesiensis is a species of spider in the family Theridiidae, found in southern Africa. It is one of six species of Latrodectus found in southern...
Latrodectus revivensis, also known as the desert widow, is a species of venomous spider belonging to the Latrodectus genus and located in the Negev desert...
Global Information
